Now that TV5’s reformat is well underway, there seems to be more things needed to be done to bring more relevance to the Kapatid network, especially on social media.
Currently, TV5 (as in the network) has accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. This is not to mention the independent (and additional) presence of News5 and One Sports on these platforms.
Through their Facebook page, TV5 is generally active by definition as they consistently share posts from One Sports and News5 with several original posts, like teasers, schedule of the day, among others.
With at least 4.8 million followers (as of press time), the FB page is the biggest account of the four social networking sites mentioned above. This huge following is largely thanks to two things: it was created on the biggest social media platform (at least in the Philippines) and the fact that it is also the oldest as it was created on August 21, 2008).
Although it is already relevant, putting up clips (both from their archived and new shows) will push more interaction and engagement among the community. It could be something in similar to what ABS-CBN and GMA are doing with their own accounts.
On Twitter, TV5 amassed around 351 thousand followers and the account which was created in November 2008 currently boasts around 116K tweets (both statistics were recorded as of press time).
Similar to the Facebook page, 5’s Twitter is generally composed of retweets from the news and sports departments, original tweets like schedules and interactions with some fans, among others.
With just 351K followers, it’s highly surprising just how far it lags behind to the accounts of its television peers on the platform. For context, ABS-CBN Entertainment has 1.3 million, while GMA Network is followed by 1.4 million users.
Like what we have suggested for the FB page, the account can add more flavor by tweeting clips. Not just that, if possible, providing in-show interaction with fans will also be beneficial to both the show and the account as it will exude a more friendly or homey vibe to both fans and bystanders alike.
There’s not that much information about their IG account, especially when it was created by the network. However, based on the explicit data, they have posted 3,513 times on the platform and has about 143 thousand followers (as of press time).
The account is just what you expect it to be. A place where updates, schedules, teasers, and BTS (behind-the-scene) photos are posted. However, most of these media are also uploaded on both or either Facebook and Twitter.
Since it does the job well, the only thing that can be suggested for the account is to have more catchy posts that could gain interaction, especially in an environment that is filled by influencers and brands that are comepeting for the eyeballs of regular users. Serving the market by putting exclusive content on the platform would be something exciting to look forward to.
YouTube
The network’s channel on the world’s biggest search engine and the arguably biggest video-sharing site is aptly named TV5 Philippines. Created on March 1, 2009, it currently only has 356K subscribers and has uploaded approxiamately 3.4K videos to date.
Checking on the account, its first few years of uploading — it’s first video was a Welcome trailer posted in 2011 — was for the mere purpose of posting episode teasers and press releases. Later on, around 2014 or 2015, it also had a slate of digital originals. Most of which, however, were later transferred to D5 Studio’s own YouTube channel.
As entertainment content on the station mostly dried up in 2016, TV5 YT later resorted to posting episodes of the public service program Alagang Kapatid, which is also a nod to the corporate social responsibility arm of the network named Alagang Kapatid Foundation.
Occasionally, the channel uploads other content like the 2018 station ID titled “Get It On”, where it also one of the most recent videos that entered the 1 million views club. A feat that is very much interesting to see as AK clips usually hover a hundred to a few thousand views only.
One of the reasons that can be pointed out on why the channel seem to pale in comparison to the other Big 3 peers is the decision long ago to create separate accounts for each show. For example, Wow Mali, TV5’s longest-running show, had its own channel when it morphed into Wow Mali Pa Rin era in 2013. Furthermore, it closely trails behind the netwotk’s own YouTube channel with 289 thousand subsribers.
So, what can be done now to improve the performance of the channel since both News5 and One Sports have already entered the Gold Play Button club (having 1 million subsribers and above) long ago.
First, TV5 could use the platform to post old clips of fan favorite shows: Wow Mali, Babaeng Hampaslupa, Midnight DJ, Face To Face, and a lot more. They could also upload full episodes of the shows should they consider entering a partnership with Google/YouTube, which is a trail already blazed by both ABS and GMA.
If possible, accounts of their defunct shows must be closed down in order to consolidate all clips and full episodes under one roof. If not, it’s better to repurpose those show accounts as genre-specific channels. For example, the mentioned Wow Mali channel can be renamed as TV5 Comedy or Comedy5. That way, it can still be utilized with broader scope than what it originally has.
Secondly, TV5 can also consider using the channel for livestreaming content. Since News5 has its own Always On – which is disappointingly unlisted, TV5 (as in the network channel) can make theirs more accessible by not doing so. But, geoblocking the said livestream can be a good option as copyright strikes on YT can be highly stringent at times.
Boosting the YouTube channel can be also beneficial to the traditional TV platform as it could be used as a support or complement to what’s on channel 5.
Seeing the Kapatid network rise once again, one can only expect that this time, there should be nowhere to go, but up. If that mantra applies to the TV channel, then it should be also done to their social media platforms as well.